The Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater will present a special limited engagement of Mercy Killers this summer from July 8–10 in the Sanchez Theater at the Stella Adler Center for the Arts.
Winner of the prestigious Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Mercy Killers returns to the Studio where it first premiered in 2012, in a powerful new production starring acclaimed Chicago actor Jack DeCesare*.
Written by Michael Milligan, Mercy Killers follows Joe, a proud blue-collar auto mechanic whose life is upended when his wife’s cancer diagnosis devastates their financial stability. As medical bills mount and hope begins to fade, Joe is forced to confront impossible moral choices in a healthcare system where survival itself has become transactional.
Set in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Mercy Killers feels strikingly relevant today, illuminating the economic anxieties, institutional distrust, and personal struggles that continue to shape American life. By turns heartbreaking, funny, furious, and deeply compassionate, the play transcends political debate to become a moving portrait of love, dignity, and sacrifice under extraordinary pressure.
Critics have praised the production as “riveting” (Chicago Reader), “beautiful and heartbreaking” (American Theatre Magazine), and “the play Obamacare needs” (The Daily Beast).
The performance runs approximately 65 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are now on sale at https://stellaadler.ludus.
*Appearing Courtesy of Actors Equity Association. This is an Equity approved showcase.
Performance Schedule
- Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00 PM
- Thursday, July 9 at 7:00 PM
- Friday, July 10 at 7:00 PM
All performances take place in the Sanchez Theater at the Stella Adler Center for the Arts.
Tickets
- General Admission: $15
- Stella Adler Student: $5
- A limited number of Pay-What-You-Can tickets are available for each performance while supplies last.